Tuesday 24 April 2012

10 Post-WrestleMania Feuds To Reignite The Divas Division: Part Two - SmackDown

So, in part one of this article I ran through five feuds that could help breathe life back into the divas division. In this part, there will be five more angles, this time running on SmackDown.

As with the first set, I've come up with a basic story outline, and I'll be offering up a rough timeframe for each rivalry as well.

1. Layla vs. Tamina

Layla makes her return to WWE, attacking Tamina and costing her a match. The last WWE Womens champion then mocks Tamina, telling her to stop trying to be her father because she's nowhere near as good, only for Tamina to beat her in comprehensive fashion the following week. Layla demands a rematch, and gets her revenge when she beats Tamina through questionable methods. The two agree to face each other one more time, and Tamina eventually prevails, hitting the Superfly Splash after a long and closely fought contest.

2. The Rise of the Anti-Divas

Cue some new talent...


The Bella twins compete in a tag team match against a face pair (probably Alicia Fox & Kelly Kelly), who beat them. The face team are heading up the ramp, whilst Nikki & Brie argue in the ring, but then two young women come out of the crowd and attack the Bella's, beating them up before staring down at K2 & Foxy.

The following week, the two women reveal themselves to be Paige & Sofia Cortez. They announce that they are sick of the 'divas', who all prance around like models, giving women like them a bad name and providing a terrible example for young women, and they tell the divas that they plan to eliminate every single one of them, starting with the Bella's.

The two sides square up over the course of a few weeks in various combinations of singles bout, as well as in a tag team match, with the anti-divas coming out victorious every time. They announce that they will remain unbeaten because no diva can compete with a real woman, when two ladies appear, presumably wishing to challenge that fact...

3. The Anti-Divas vs. The Chickbusters

AJ & Kaitlyn come down to the ring and tell Paige & Sofia that, whilst they don't consider themselves 'divas' either, they think that attacking them all for no reason sets just as bad of an example as the one the anti-divas claim the divas set. This doesn't please Paige & Sofia, and they attack the Chickbusters, telling them that, whilst they may not have been divas when they joined WWE, they have been corrupted and so they will also be destroyed.

The rivalry goes on for a few weeks, featuring singles and tag team matches shared between the two sides, but in the end the anti-divas prevail once more. They declare their respect for the Chickbusters, who they see as being above the 'diva' label, but reiterate that the true anti-divas will always come out on top.

4. The Anti-Divas & Maxine vs. Kelly Kelly, Aksana & Alicia Fox

Maxine, now a regular part of the SmackDown roster, begins a rivalry with Alicia Fox, but keeps getting beaten. After yet another victory, Alicia Fox celebrates, but it suddenly ambushed by the anti-divas, and Maxine is revealed to be the newest anti-diva.

The three women embark on a brief series of attacks on Alicia, before she is finally backed up by Kelly Kelly & Aksana. The six women argue their sides of the 'diva' argument, whilst facing off in a variety of combinations over a period of weeks, with the anti-divas picking up a slight edge on the divas. The rivalry is settled in a six woman tag team match, in which the divas control a surprising amount of the match, only to lose in controversial fashion.

The anti-divas try to attack the three divas after the match, but all the divas in the locker room rush out in an overdue show of solidarity, and force Paige, Sofia & Maxine to retreat.

5. Paige vs. Layla

This angle could be used either side of Layla's angles on RAW (mentioned in my last post), and it could play out differently depending on which side it was used. Should it be squeezed in before then it would have to remain a singles feud, but if used after Layla's RAW feuds then it could possibly be turned it an 'Anti-Divas vs. LayCool' feud. Either way, here's how it would go down.

Layla picks up a victory on SmackDown, but the anti-divas ambush tactic comes into play again as Paige attacks Layla from behind. She tells the crowd that, now that the anti-divas have proved themselves to be far superior to the divas, she wants to prove that she is far superior to Layla, as the best English female in the WWE.

The two women battle in a series of very physical contests, and the option is there for LayCool to reform and compete against Paige & Sofia (this would be done, unsurprisingly, with a 2v1 attack on Layla, with Michelle McCool running down to save the day) at some point along the line. The final confrontation would either be another singles match, possibly with an added stipulation, or the first tag match between the two sides, depending on whether Michelle & Sofia were added to the feud, but either way Layla's side would win out, finally slowing the charge of the anti-divas and giving (a) Layla the momentum needed to start her work on RAW; or (b) LayCool a glorious reunion.

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So there you have it. Ten angles that could help make the divas division relevant again before the end of the year, and also help introduce some of the young talent that could help spearhead a new wave of womens wrestling in WWE.

We're already seeing a few changes to the division on television, but I hope to see some more big (positive) changes over the next few months, as there is too much talent in the division and in FCW at present for things to carry on the way they have been lately.

We may not get the glory days of Trish, Lita, Molly et al back, but I truly believe we could end up with a product that's pretty close to that level, and that would be no less than we, and the women themselves, deserve.

Saturday 7 April 2012

10 Post-WrestleMania Feuds To Reignite The Divas Division: Part One - RAW

Okay, so in my last post I said that I had come up with ten storylines that could revitalise the divas division - five for RAW, and five for SmackDown. Now is the time to take a look at my plans for RAW.

First of all, I should point out that these aren't rigid plans - I've just come up with an outline for the stories, and a vague timeframe based around PPV's. Anyway, here we go...

 

1. Eve vs. Natalya


Following on from Eve's win at WrestleMania (well, that's what would've happened in my world) she decides to try and take the Divas Championship from her WM28 partner Beth Phoenix. Natalya, however, comes to the same conclusion after some more mistreatment from Pin Up Strong partner Miss Phoenix.

The two women clash over who gets to face Beth, leading to a quick run of matches between the two to decide who the number one contender is. Eve comes out on top in this competition, and faces Beth at the next PPV, Extreme Rules, only to fall short.

 

2. Natalya vs. Beth


With Eve having failed in her quest to take the title from Beth Phoenix, Natalya steps forward to claim her title shot. However, she's told that she must once again prove that she deserves it by winning a number one contendership battle royale, where the winner will get a shot at the title at Over the Limit. In unsurpising fashion, Natalya does eventually prevail, only to be attacked after the match by Beth, breaking up Pin Up Strong once and for all.
 
The two women face off in some non-title singles matches & tag team contests, with both women matching each other throughout. With their rivalry becoming more intense every week, they agree that a clear winner is needed, and so the first ever Divas ladder match is announced. 

At Over the Limit, the two women put on a great show, but Beth eventually managed to retain once more. Clutching her title close to her chest, Beth celebrates in the ring, only for some familiar music to hit... 

 

3. Kharma vs. Beth


With Beth celebrating her win, Kharma makes her return, coming to the ring and staring down Beth, telling her that she's coming for the title.

Kharma destroys half of the roster in the coming weeks, with Beth avoiding any matches with her. During this period Beth throws the Bella's to Kharma, allowing her to get her revenge for their remarks when she announced she was pregnant. Eventually, it is decided that the two women need to face each other, so a title match is booked for No Way Out. Kharma vs Beth, in the first ever divas cage match. At No Way Out the two women finally go head-to-head in a match, and despite Beth's best efforts Kharma comes out on top, winning the title with an Implant Buster from the second rope. 

The rivalry doesn't end there, though. Having lost her precious title, Beth seeks to win it back, and recruits the Bella twins and Layla to help her overcome Kharma. Over the coming weeks, the four women attack Kharma during and after matches, before helping Beth cheat her way to the number one contender spot just in time for Money in the Bank. Kharma says that she'll give Beth her match, but only if it's 'last woman standing'. Beth obviously accepts. 

At MITB, the two women meet again, and Beth's stable interfere to try and help her incapacitate Kharma. In the end, though, she proves too strong, wiping out Beth's helpers before putting Beth through a table with an Implant Buster to retain her title. 

Beth, furious, turns on her allies, but one woman fights back...

 

4. Beth vs. Layla


When Beth lashes out at her former stablemates, Layla defends herself, attacking Beth and hitting her with a LayOut.

Beth responds by ambushing Layla during matches and interviews, causing Layla to respond in kind, triggering a series of brawls that are ended when the two women are booked in a match against each other at SummerSlam. 

PPV time, and the two women prepare to compete in a 'no disqualifications' match. After an evenly contested opening phase, Beth takes control, and looks to be about put Layla away when the Bella's - the other former stablemates of Beth - appear and attack the Glamazon. They, along with Layla, attack Phoenix, and Layla hits a Facelift through a table to end their rivalry.

 

5. Natalya vs. Kharma


After retaining against Beth at MITB, Kharma returned to trampling over the rest of the women on the roster, eventually turning heel when she takes out Kelly Kelly (this would also have the benefit of allowing K2 to be written off screen for a few months, giving her time to actually learn to wrestle). With all the women terrified, Natalya steps forward to challenge Kharma. The two women one up each other over the next few weeks, beating whoever is put in their way, and Natalya continues to stand up to Kharma, protecting a few divas from harm in the process.

Eventually, the two women are booked in a lumberjill match for the Divas Championship at Night of Champions, and the locker room ultimately gets their revenge when they all attack Kharma, allowing Natalya to pick up the victory and win the title. 

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So there you go, that's a rough plan for how I'd book RAW, taking us all the way into September, and there are threads in there that could possibly even be followed up beyond that point, such as Kelly Kelly's return to the roster & feud with the woman who put her out, Kharma. 

Next time I'll reveal my final five angles, which will take place over on SmackDown.